Ambiguous
by Artemis's Liege
Summary: A conservative small town like Sleepyside thinks it's strange when two young men spend all of their free time together, even if they do often date girls. People notice. People talk. Slash.
1. One

**CONTENT NOTICE: This story is slash and thus will contain discussion and speculation of the relationship between two teenage males. Also included will be reactions to said relationship, approval and verbal homophobia amongst them. If the idea of homosexual relationships upsets/offends/disgusts you, then perhaps you should spare your blood pressure and go off to read Jim/Trixie stories (*Shudder*). Additionally, this story features Hallie Belden. Don't worry: I'll spare you of her "drawling".**

**Author's Note:** So, this is my first official slash story. And it's not for _Glee_, anything anime-related, or anything Marvel-related, but for Trixie Belden, of all things. What a world, huh?

But anyway, while I doubt this is the first Trixie Belden slash story, I think that this is the only one to both feature a male/male relationship and be available on the web at the moment.

* * *

Five Sleepyside citizens who thought Mart and Dan were closer than friends, and the one who decided to take matters into her own hands.

* * *

**1. Peter Belden**

When Helen informs him that William Regan will be bringing his juvenile delinquent of a nephew home from New York City, with apparently the full approval of Matthew Wheeler, Peter is extremely skeptical and somewhat wary. He's raised his children in a Christian manner, with traditional family values and strong morals.

Judging from the club they and the neighbor children have formed, the Bob-Whites of the Glen (which seems to operate as charity in addition to a detective agency), they've internalized their parents' emphasis on upstanding virtues. And the last thing Peter wants is some city-slicker who's barely Mart's age to drop in and crush all of the principles taught to his children and replace honesty with thievery, kindness with cruelty, and organizing benefit auctions with hijacking cars.

But Daniel Mangan surprises him. After an initially tumultuous introduction to Sleepyside, which involved exchanging many a verbal barb with fiery Trixie, Peter's only daughter, Dan earned the entire town's respect by rescuing Bobby and protecting Trixie at great personal risk to himself. The Bob-Whites in particular are so impressed by this that they promptly induct Dan into their club.

The inclusion of Dan in his own teenagers' group of friends brings Peter ambivalent feelings. He's happy that the boy has adjusted well enough to rural life that he has various peers to depend upon, but he worries over how his own children may be affected by Dan's unforgiving background.

Oddly, Dan doesn't act very much like a former gang member. When he's not working, Dan is laughing and socializing with the other Bob-Whites, just like a normal teenager. Peter supposes he should be grateful that the boy's conduct isn't like that of a criminal, but he finds it rather strange that Dan appears to retain barely any of his behavior patterns from his city life.

Despite not knowing Dan very well, Peter likes the boy, especially now that he's saved Peter's children. However, a very subtle aspect of Dan's outward appearance leaves Peter somewhat unsettled whenever he's in the same room as Dan, though he can't quite place what it is.

If he were to attempt to explain himself to someone, though, he would point out Dan's eyes- a noticeably pale shade of brown, almost amber. Whenever he's within the vicinity of Dan, Peter swears that the boy's eyes are following him around the room, watching his movements as a cat would, even when Dan's attention is focused completely elsewhere. Dan's motions strike Peter as vaguely feline also, moving about with a lithe, sinewy grace.

However, none of his children seem to be quietly perturbed by Dan in the same manner as Peter. Now that they know he would put himself in danger to help Bobby, he's always greeted with their sincere enthusiasm.

Mart in particular seems to have taken to Dan, and when Peters pulls into the driveway on Friday evenings, he usually can spot them playing baseball in one of the orchards. The two of them seem to be close to one another, joking around with ridiculous nicknames, jocularly pushing each other or slinging arms around the other's shoulders.

But Peter never concerns himself with the nature of the relatiohsip between his son and the reformed delinquent until Matt Wheeler explicitly points out their inseparability.

The Belden family is hosting a backyard barbeque out on their patio, and their guests include the Bob-Whites of the Glen, the Wheeler parents, and Larry and Terry Lynch. Ed and Betty Lynch themselves, however, were unable to make it.

All of the Bob-Whites are playing a game of football, sans Diana, who's standing off the stand for worry of ruining her new jeans. Still, she watches their game with a smile.

"Oh, to be young again," Madeline Wheeler says, pouring herself another glass of wine from the antique decanter. "I would have loved to play a fun game of football once in a while with such enthusiastic friends when I was a girl."

"Amen to that," replies Matt Wheeler, clinking his half-full wineglass against hers. "The vibrancy and excitement of youth . . . I wish I could capture it once more. And you know something, Pete, your son and Daniel remind me of myself and Win Frayne when we were young."

Win Frayne, Peter knows, was Jim's father and Matt Wheeler's college friend. "Is that so?" He asks casually.

Yards away, Mart slings an arm around Dan's shoulders, which is somehow a celebration of their football victory. Diana congratulates them both.

Matt Wheeler nods emphatically, a wistful smile on his handsome face. "Yes. Our friendship was practically . . . indivisible back then. We were very devoted to one another. Closer than brothers, Win and I, because there were no blood feuds or rivalries to separate us. Even after we graduated and got married, we still kept in contact and met up for hunting expeditions or fishing trips."

Matt raised his glass joyously. "The loyalty, the absolute familiarity, those are the kinds of friendships you don't forget, because they last a lifetime. But when Win passed on . . ." Matt's smile faded slightly. Then he clapped Peter on the shoulder. "Well, at any rate, I hope your boy Mart can enjoy the same intimate friendship with Dan that I had with Win."

"Indeed," Peter mutters, but his attention is focused on the B.W.G.s, who are returning to the patio, Mart's arm still around Dan's shoulders and Dan with an uncommon but genuine smile.

* * *

**A/N:** Any guesses who the person who interferes with the relationship will be?

Oh, and be sure to let me know what you think of the fic so far.


	2. Two

**A/N:** And we continue with the story. Thanks to those who reviewed.

* * *

**2. Barbara Hubbell**

The first night at the splendid apartment in New York City, the Bob-Whites show themselves to be wonderful hosts. The evening meal is scrumptious and filled with laughter, boisterous chatter, and jokes. Barbara is having the time of her life with this sincere group of friends, and a glance at her brother Bob tells her that he is, too.

They insist on helping wash the dinner dishes, and the Bob-Whites insist that they help as well, so Dan and Mart join Barbara, Bob, and Ned Schulz at the kitchen sink.

Barbara feels uncharacteristically shy around Dan. He's very handsome, with classic features and smoldering eyes as gray as storm clouds, set in an alabaster face that's all smooth skin, with no hint that he needs to shave. He and Diana often seem to be jestingly flirting, and he was very interested in those young airline stewardesses they met earlier in the day; the young women appeared impressed by him in return, even going as far as to give him their numbers.

Dan is tall and wiry, thin in a way that denotes athleticism rather than frailty, with lean, defined muscles. His smile is reminiscent of the Cheshire Cat- as if he has a secret and is going to enjoy watching the reactions of everyone else when the secret is revealed. An element about him seems slightly more sophisticated than the other boys; their genuine honesty is undermined by his enigmatic nature that whispers of melancholic complications.

But the one person who seems to awaken him from his state of relaxed dispiritedness is Mart- loud, energetic, irrepressible Mart. His blitheness contrasts Dan's inscrutableness: he seems to draw Dan into the midst of the group rather than leave him standing on the outside, which is evidently his default place. The two appear to be very close.

Perhaps a bit _too_ close, Barbara thinks as she accepts a dripping plate from Ned, arranges it amongst the other tableware in the dishwasher and watches as Mart initiates a towel fight between him and Dan, which leads to much playful but seemingly unnecessary touching, mostly with Dan as the recipient.

But the understated, uninvolved teen, who appears to be an outsider even amidst his own friends, does lightly graze his hand against Mart several times, which speak volumes about their familiarity with one another. Moreover, Dan's jovial pushes of Mart give Barbara the impression of caresses rather than amiable play-fighting.

When all of them are gathered in the living room, munching on popcorn, Barbara leans over and murmurs into Ned's ear. "Do they seem a bit too . . . _chummy_ to you?"

Ned gives her a nonplussed look. "No. I think they're fine. These people are just a little different from us, Barbara. They're New Yorkers, after all."

And yet, as Barbara watches Brian wrap an arm around Honey's slim shoulders, Jim send a fond glance at Trixie, and Mart ignore Diana on the love seat in favor of sprawling next to Dan on the floor, she can't help but wonder.

* * *

**A/N:** Thoughts? Concrit? Let me know.

Any suggestions on who should interfere?


	3. Three

**A/N:** Thank you to everyone who has reviewed this story. I really appreciate feedback. Just to clarify, I have read all of the Trixie Belden books, but I know some better than others. And Matthew Wheeler's first name was given toward the end of The Red Trailer Mystery, when Jim and Trixie meet the Wheeler parents for the first time.

Also, I don't mind Jim/Trixie at first glance, but this plethora of Trixie Belden future fics in which she has children with Jim and they have this perfect life, blah, blah, blah, is very irritating. And then all of these authors on Jixemitri have these pledges to Jim/Trixie and these supposedly "canon" explanations for why Jim and Trixie would never date anyone but each other, which are more than a little excessive. I mean, isn't the point of fanfiction to show creativity and explore non-canon elements?

Whatever. On with the story.

* * *

**3. Sergeant Wendell Molinson**

Sometimes it seems that no matter where he goes, that bevy of red jackets who follow Trixie Belden's leadership is there. Molinson swears, he can't so much as stop by Wimpy's for a burger without one of the hoard popping up and peppering him with questions about a case he's working on.

And if he has a headache from dealing with some overconfident rookie just out of the police academy, or if Chief Moran has spent the morning bemoaning the bad press the police department receives, then that's a guarantee that the entire group will be there and proceed to pester him.

Sure enough, when he stops by Wimpy's on Friday to grab an early dinner so he can stay late at the station that night, Mart Belden is exiting, closely followed by some other kid Wendell doesn't recognize, but he's wearing a red "B.W.G." jacket, so they must have inducted a new member into their little coven. Meaning that by increasing their numbers, those kids are now able to get caught up in even more trouble. Fantastic.

"Well, salutations, benevolent Sergeant!" This Belden kid looks a lot like Trixie, though there's more muscle to his build and he's several inches taller. His hair has outgrown his seemingly perpetual buzz cut and has more wave than curl.

"If it isn't one of the Beldens." Molinson is too tired to smile, so he settles for raising his eyebrows in skepticism. "Haven't seen any of your club around lately. Does that mean all of you are actually going to behave like normal kids instead of parading around solving mysteries?"

"Not a chance," Mart replies good-naturedly. "Not long past, my kinsmen and cohorts embarked on an expedition to the agricultural preserve of my esteemed Uncle Andrew, the orientation of the pastoral farmstead being in the Des Moines precinct. Thereabouts, Trixie single-handedly impeded a nefarious sheep-rustling gang during our sojourn amongst the countryside."

Inwardly, Molinson rolls his eyes, and not only at the teen's pretentious vocabulary: that Trixie Belden girl seems to be unable to walk down the street without stumbling across some manner of unusual happenings.

But at least this time someone else had to deal with Trixie and the Bob-Whites. They're good kids, and he knows that he shouldn't be so hard on them, but they find themselves embroiled with armed criminals all too often for his liking.

But he doesn't have the energy or patience to give a lecture at the moment, so he settles for learning about the newest Bob-White. "Are you going to introduce me to your friend? Is this the latest intern to the junior F.B.I.?" He nods at the other teen, who's observing this exchange with a complacent, cat-like smile.

"Oh, yeah, sure," Mart says with a smile. "Sergeant Molinson, allow me to establish the identity of the most recent addition to the Bob-Whites, Esquire Dan Mangan." He pronounces the surname, "Main-gone".

Molinson looks at the kid for more than a passing second this time, and though he doesn't show it outwardly, he's taken aback by the teenager's appearance.

Dan is wearing all black clothing other than his red jacket, emphasizing his already pale skin. His hair is jet black and sleek, slightly longer than most of the clean-cut boys at the local high school wear it. Arched eyebrows accent his intense eyes, which are an eerie pale blue, like chips of ice. He's definitely not bad looking, but the kid looks too much like a vampire to be classically attractive.

There's some vaguely insolent about his smile as he shakes hands. "I'm always happy to met a protector of the citizens, Sergeant."

"Right." Something about this kid is vaguely _off_, subtly dissonant, but Molinson is unable to pinpoint exactly what. He can't imagine that nice kids like the Beldens would knowingly bring a troublemaker into their group, but he's aware that malefactors can influence even the best kids.

So when Molinson returns to the station, he catches Spider Webster before he leaves, and asks him about the kid, curious about why he doesn't recognize him.

And Spider tells him that his younger brother Tad says the high school is constantly abuzz about the misadventures and criminal escapades of the "Main-gone" kid, but no one really knows very much about him other than that Matthew Wheeler takes up for him like he's his own son. And everybody might say that the kid breaks the law like most people change clothes, and Mangan even used to be a gang member, but the Sleepyside police department has never been able to find any information on him in the databases or anywhere else, and isn't that strange?

Molinson agrees. He thought that the kid had seemed weird. Hard to believe Matthew Wheeler would support someone like that.

He sees the kid around town every so often. Usually, if that blonde older brother of Trixie's is around, the Mangan kid is, too. If Mangan is in Wimpy's, Mart Belden is always sitting beside him. That one pretty young lady of the Lynch family is with them sometimes, too, talking and giggling, tossing her glossy black hair. The two boys seem to like her a lot as well, smiling and laughing with her.

But most of the time, Mangan is there studying a textbook, while Mart works his way through a couple of burgers and a milkshake and tries to convince Dan to eat, going as far to offer Dan food from his own plate, though the brunette rarely accepts more than a couple of French fries.

It's not Molinson's place to judge people's choices, only to ascertain that they pay for their crimes, so he just sighs and mentally wishes them the best, hoping the rumors that Dan is a vicious street fighter hold at least some truth to them in case he should ever need to protect himself from bigots.

* * *

**A/N:** Yes. Sergeant Molinson ships Mart/Dan. And possibly Diana/Mart/Dan.

Thoughts on this chapter?


	4. Four

**A/N:** I'm really glad that so many people are enjoying this story. I was initially worried about how a communnity like _Trixie Belden_, which seems so dead set on heterosexual pairings, would react to a slash fic, and it makes me happy that this has been accepted.

Anyway, let me know your thoughts on this fic.

On with the story.

* * *

**4. Hallie Belden**

The cool evening air is a relief from the almost oppressive humidity of the summer days in Westchester area, and Hallie is surprised to find herself having a good time with her cousins' friends, despite the underlying tension between herself and Trixie. At the moment, she's sitting next to the very good-looking Dan on the porch swing, while Jim and Trixie relay the Bob-Whites with the tale of one of her mysteries.

"I'm glad you're here," she says to him in an undertone, to escape the notice of the surrounding teens. "I was worried that I'd be an outcast in the group after reading Trixie's letters."

"There's no need to worry about that," Dan informs her neutrally. "We'll all friends here. No one gets left behind."

So like a boy: he's utterly oblivious to what she's really trying to tell him. No worries, though: if she can impress her to older male cousins with her looks, charming someone who isn't a blood relation shouldn't be a problem for her.

She gazes into his green eyes, much like his uncle's, though Dan's look more feline than human. "What I mean is, I was worried those all those other kids would be paired off together. You know, Brian with Honey, Mart with Diana, Jim with my _sweet cousin_ Trixie." She places a certain amount of sarcasm on the term of endearment, then glances at Dan and worries that she's just ruined her chance with him by showing her dislike of her blonde, curly-haired cousin.

One of the reasons Hallie is so interested in Dan is because he intrigues her: he's a paradox, a very contradiction of himself. He's in a group of close friends, yet separate from the rest of them, he's a reformed delinquent but never so much as hints at his past, he's now supposedly a "good kid", despite his clothing: every article completely black in color, from his jeans and V-neck T-Shirt to his work boots.

Even now, he studies intensely but appears utterly disinterested at the same time. A moment passes before he speaks again.

"I wouldn't say that Diana is 'paired off' with Mart quite yet," he ripostes, and his green eyes gleam. "So you shouldn't worry about not having a love interest. You can hang out with Diana, Mart, and I. We're all just friends."

_Is this a brush-off?_ Hallie questions. There's an element of coolness to his tone, and Hallie isn't certain if he quite understands her. She gives one final effort.

"I wasn't all too excited about being shipped over to New York to hang out with you kids," Hallie admits, spilling feelings to Dan that she never even revealed to Cap. "I just didn't want to go off wandering hillsides in Switzerland with my parents. But now that I'm here, I want one of those summers like they have in the movies- with adventure, romance, ice cream -"

"You're a bit too young to be thinking about romance," Dan interrupts her flatly. "And if you want adventure, you're better off the Belden _kids_. Trixie's a magnet for mystery and overall weirdness." He sends her a long, flat look at the last two words, making it clear that he mentally places her in the latter category.

If that's not a brush-off, Hallie doesn't know what one is. Outraged and somewhat humiliated at his condescension, her jaw snaps open and shut several times.

Is it her, or is Dan interested in someone else? Hallie has noticed him playfully flirting with Diana Lynch earlier and had thought nothing of it, because earlier in town, she had seen him chatting with several college girls. He didn't seem to be particularly attached to any of them, so she assumed that he was just a regular Casanova.

The other Bob-Whites are preparing to depart on an evening stroll.

"C'mon, Danny!" Mart calls congenially. "Let's go!"

As Hallie watches Diana Lynch smile approvingly as Dan transforms from detached and impassive to warm and sociable when he joins his close friend Mart, Hallie thinks she understands.

* * *

**A/N:** Yeah. I don't care for Hallie and her ridiculous Idaho-ian drawl very much. Does it show?

Why does Hallie drawl when she's from the Rocky Mountains, anyway? Isn't it mostly people from the South who drawl?


	5. Five

**A/N: **So, I received my first flame on this story. Flames for slash stories are to be expected, considering how many Trixie Belden fanfiction authors believe in no such thing as romance beyond the basic heteronormativity. I guess slash is just too much for some people to handle.

But what really annoyed me is that the individual who left the review offered no criticism for my writing style or the characters' portrayal- the only reason they flamed was because of the slash pairing. Nothing else whatsoever.

Oh, well. Haterz gonna hate, I suppose.

* * *

**5. Ben Riker**

No matter how highly his cousins and their family laud the countryside and proclaim its benefits, the place remains awfully tedious to Ben. There's nothing to do here: he doesn't particularly have the energy for swimming or tennis, and he isn't allowed access to a car after nearly wrapping his beloved yellow convertible around a telephone pole.

For the last hour, he's been sequestered in his room in an attempt to work on his summer homework. It's the ultimate hell: a four thousand word essay demonstrating the theme of _The Scarlet Letter_ by exemplifying and explaining quotes from the book. Each time Ben picks up his pen to start an outline at the very least, he winds up merely throwing it down again, overwhelmed by frustration.

Rendered irritable and irked by the book's incredibly verbose and antiquated prose, Ben decides to escape classic American literature for the time being, if only for his own mental health, and instead spend the evening riding. Besides, he wants to get out of this room that's not actually his; he wants to get out of his uncle's house. The grandfather clock he passes on his way out the back door informs him that it's only half-past seven, so he has plenty of time to enjoy himself.

When the stable door opens easily at his experimental tug, Ben is somewhat surprised. The redheaded young groom who governs over the stable is away on a trip with Uncle Matt, purchasing a new horse to add to the collection. And his saintly cousins and their similarly sinless friends (Ben barely refrains from rolling his eyes when his thoughts drift in their direction) are elsewhere. No idea where, exactly, because they didn't invite him, or so much as tell him their evening plans.

Like it matters. He doesn't care about what any of them do; after all, they're probably off fighting world hunger and convincing the citizens of foreign countries to worship them as gods, because as Ben is incessantly reminded by himself and others, the Bob-Whites of the Glen can do no wrong.

Ben slams the door behind him with much more force than necessary as he enters the stable.

"Do you mind?"

Ben doesn't recognize the faintly annoyed voice as it speaks; frowning, he continues into the building.

From back to front, the spacious stable is arranged by the supply rooms, the horse stalls, the tack room, Regan's office, and then just before the doors, the front entrance way, sort of a general area.

Curious, Ben proceeds through the stable to the stalls, to find that one handsome gang member standing next to Starlight, brushing the gelding's dark coat.

He watches the other teen for a moment, who pays Ben no further regard. Rather than allowing the silence to prolong itself, Ben asks him the obvious question.

"What are you doing here?"

The other still doesn't turn to face him, just continues grooming the horse.

The stable door creaks open again, and this time Trixie Belden, the short and sturdy curly-haired neighbor of the Wheelers and Honey's best friend, dashes inside. She's wearing her swimsuit, which is a pale blue tankini in the style of a halter top and boy-cut shorts.

"Oh, there you are, Dan," she says amiably, smiling brightly. "Why don't you come down to the lake with us? We're going to swim and eat dinner at the water's edge. It'll be a wonderful time."

Dan turns to her, and Ben doesn't miss the light flush that forms on his face as he notices what Trixie is wearing.

"I don't think so," Dan replies casually. "With Regan gone for the night, I should make sure that the stables are in order."

"Puh-lease?" Trixie importunes. "It won't be the same without you there!" She notices Ben watching the exchange and sends him a disdainful glance. "You can join us, too, if you want, Ben," she adds in a tone devoid of enthusiasm.

"Sorry, I can't make it," Dan responds apologetically. "But you go ahead and tell the others I said hello, all right?"

"Fine," Trixie says, though she looks somewhat disappointed. "See ya, Dan."

She doesn't say goodbye to Ben as she exits: he hadn't expected her to. As much as she's done for foreign kids in other countries, he's never seen Trixie make the effort to reach out to a homegrown troubled kid unless there were guaranteed benefits for her as a result. Honestly, he's not sad to see her depart.

Dan still doesn't speak for several moments, so Ben decides to engage him in casual conversation.

"Trixie sure looked good in that swimsuit, didn't she?"

Dan tenses, but Ben isn't certain whether it's due to his voice or his words.

"I suppose," he returns tonelessly.

A slight pause transpires, and Ben chooses that time to affirm some of his suspicions, not of out of malice but curiosity.

"Mart's well-built, with a good amount of muscle," Ben observes levelly. "I imagine that he might look pretty good shirtless."

This statement brings Dan to focus his attention on Ben. His eyes, a dark blue with a silvery sheen, like mist drifting over the ocean, narrow in a manner that reminds Ben of a cat stalking its prey. He stares at Ben for a moment, and Ben begins to feel slightly unnerved.

"I don't know if you know," Dan says slowly and clearly in his usual low tone, "but I'm the assistant gamekeeper of Mr. Wheeler's preserve. Meaning that I know every inch of the grounds and surrounding land. If I ever needed to hide a body, I could make sure that no one would ever find it." He stares at Ben flatly, his face absolutely emotionless. "And I use a maul to chop wood almost every day. With all the practice I've had, I'd be able to easily cleave a human skull."

Ben hastily turns up his empty hands, palms outward, in the traditional gesture of peace. "Hey, I didn't mean to corner you. I'm not going to tell anyone about you and Mart. I'm just bored and stuck here for the rest of the summer, so- "

"So you'd thought you'd entertain yourself by fantasizing about the relationship between me and my best friend?" Dan cuts him off harshly.

"No." Ben attempts to hold up his hand in the placatory method again. "I'm just intrigued, that's all. You don't like to go swimming with the rest of your friends because the girls will be in their swimsuits. And you feel like a creep when you notice their bodies, because you feel like you're a lot older than them, even though you're younger than Mart. I saw that you were embarrassed when Trixie paraded in here in that halter top. And you make excuses when Diana invites you to going swimming in the pool at her house, but you're fine with her hanging off of you any other time."

Dan doesn't respond, simply stares at him with an unfathomable expression.

"You're not acting," Ben continues. "I can see that you're honestly uncomfortable with the idea of being attracted to _those particular_ girls. I know that you and your friends think that I'm a jackass because I dared to enjoy the privileged lifestyle I was born into. But I often watched the drama that surrounded high society. I noticed when men and women were too affectionate with the people with whom they were having affairs. And it was obvious to me when a couple was miserable and their marriage was falling apart but they tried to pretend otherwise. I've been learning how to read people from a young age."

He waits for Dan to interject, but the anticipated exclamation never arrives.

"You don't behave the same way around any other guy the way you do with Mart," Ben begins slowly. "Aside from him, you seem to be interested in girls. So I'm going to assume that you're not bisexual. Maybe you're pansexual. You do seem to be more in love with Mart's personality than interested in anything physical."

Dan says nothing, only watches him with a wary look in his feline eyes.

"And Mart is all over Diana until you walk into the room," Ben goes on. "It's as if your presence has some sort of mesmerizing effect on him, and he can't concentrate on anyone else when you're around. Do what I'm wondering is this: since you and Mart both appear to be mainly heterosexual, are you two each other's exceptions for an otherwise heterosexual preference?"

"You're insane," Dan states flatly, turning back to Starlight.

Ben is slightly irritated, and he forgets his earlier nervousness. "I'm not imagining these things. The way you act around him, the way he always wants to be close to you, your undying loyalty to one another . . . is seems to me that you and Mart are in love with each other." It's difficult for him to recall why he's so invested in this topic; after all, he is only doing this relationship dissection because he's bored.

Dan turns slowly, staring at Ben, who's sure he's going to meet a grisly end at the hands of a juvenile delinquent with a maul, but then Dan begins to laugh.

The noise seems to burble up from somewhere deep within Dan, and as Ben gazes at him in complete surprise, Dan clutches his sides, as if Ben's remark was so utterly humorous that he's now literally hurting due to the physical exertion of the laughter.

The laughter is neither pleasant nor harsh and grating, yet something about it still seems less than wholesome, as there's an underlying meaning to his sudden euphoria. Ben half-expects to see tears rolling down Dan's cheeks from his apparent mirth, but his freakishly multi-colored eyes remain dry.

The laughter now twists into howls of glee, and Ben begins to feel unnerved now by Dan's inexplicable excitement, apparently engendered through Ben's own observations. The hyena-like laughter surging from Dan's throat seems to stem from dark amusement rather than genuine gaiety; his reaction to Ben's serious statement is startling enough, but as Ben listens to him in amazement, he realizes that there's an undertone of discord in the laughter, an edge of desperation to the otherwise convincing, if disconcerting, expression of hilarity.

The hairs on the back of Ben's neck stand up as he listens to the lusty chortles: _there is no reason_ for Dan to be laughing like this, and his response is rather out of place and eerie.

Abruptly, Dan's laughter ceases like a vinyl record brought to a screeching halt. Still, a wide smile twists his lips, though his eyes show no happiness whatsoever, instead reflecting a cold, bleak, desolate world that must be Dan's grim home in his own mentality. The overall expression is very disquieting when it forms on his face.

"Mart and I in love with each other?" He echoes incredulously, the dissonant smile influencing his voice, the amusement of which is evident. "Jesus Christ, what are you talking about? Can't you see? Mart loves Diana. He's never loved anyone but her!"

The unnerving laughter rises from deep within Dan once more, and he's so wrapped up in his "merriment" that he doesn't acknowledge Ben's hasty departure from the room.

The summer humidity feels overly warm against Ben's chilled skin as he steps out into the warm evening, the echoes of Dan's desperate laughter following him into the night, seemingly ushered along by the breeze.

* * *

**A/N:** Let me know what you thought.

And this is the last chance to give suggestions for who should interfere with the relationship!


	6. Zero

**A/N:** All right everybody, here's the chapter you've all been waiting for. Probably not quite who you were expecting. Please let me know your thoughts on this chapter and the story in general.

* * *

. . . and the one who decided to take matters into her own hands.

* * *

**1. Helen Belden**

Matter-of-factly observing Dan's continual rebuffs of her vivacious niece, the gears in Helen's brain continue turning, formulating a course of action. She has subtly encouraged Hallie to approach Dan, in both hopes of distracting him as well as testing his interest in the feminine sex. Helen has seen him flirt with other women multiple times before, but he appears to be somewhat uncomfortable around Hallie.

Perhaps it's her age; Dan seemed interested enough in her until Mart inquires when Hallie's fourteenth birthday will, at which Dan did a double take and moved slightly away from her. Helen doesn't fancy herself a detective as her daughter does, but even she can deduce that the freshly fifteen-year-old feels that he's too old to be interested in some girl from Idaho who's barely a teenager.

Now, he seems increasingly more disgusted as Hallie parades around in her halter top and Daisy Duke-style shorts. Really, Helen ought to let Harold know he shouldn't be allowing his daughter to dress like that when she's still so young.

So her distraction didn't work. Dan is taken aback by Hallie and immediately runs to her son when Mart so much as calls his name. One might mistake the two for friend, but in Helen's opinion, they're much too friendly for her liking. When she worried that the juvenile delinquent might be a negative influence on her children, a sinful, unnatural bond with her middle son wasn't quite what she imagined.

Well. This simply won't do.

She waits in the kitchen while the Bob-Whites and Hallie rove around the property surrounding the farm on some sort of evening walk. Dan, seemingly immune to the cool evening breeze, has left his jacket at the kitchen table, and will certainly remember to grab it before returning to his own home. Helen will have the perfect opportunity to discreetly speak to him and clearly communicate her feelings to him about his feelings for her son.

Some people may peg her as anti-feminist and dismiss her as submissive for her lack of career and choice to operate as a mere housewife for the rest of her family, but Helen knows the cost of keeping her family's image ideal. And as far as Dan's concerned, she's prepared to cut her losses.

A chorus of laughter, chatter, and shouts alerts her to the return of the teenagers, and Helen poises herself by the kitchen sink under the pretense of rinsing off dishes.

The screen door at the front entrance opens and quietly shuts. Dan, then. Any of the others will thoughtlessly let the storm door to just clatter into its place. But Dan moves with a fluid, cat-like grace, slipping through the shadows to avoid notice.

His even, paced footsteps grow closer and she waits with her back turned to him, doing her best to maintain a rational demeanor and not allow her inner vexation at him to show -her anger for corrupting her son when she's worked so hard to ascertain her children remain the epitome of the All-American family.

"Hello, Mrs. Belden," he says upon arrival in the kitchen. His voice, though distinctly male, isn't particularly deep, but it's smooth, low, and pleasing.

Carefully maintaining the smile on her face to appear friendly and wholesome, she turns in Dan's direction. "Why, hello, Dan," she says. "How are you?"

A smile flickers across his features. "I'm all right," he says. "I'm enjoying the company your family provides to me."

Oh, I bet you are, Helen thought grimly. But she moderates her tone so her voice seems normal. "Actually, I've been meaning to talk to you about that, Dan."

He studies her expectantly, saying nothing.

Helen makes certain that the smile on her face is "pleasant" and "innocuous" to avoid revealing the true depths of her anger and frustration. "The families in this area accepted your arrival in Sleepyside because your uncle promised that he would prevent you from corrupting their children," she begins delicately. "And later, you earned their approval by rescuing Bobby and Trixie. I realize that my family owes you a debt for helping us, but I won't allow my son to pay you back for that."

He gazes at her with black eyes, deep but ultimately soulless. "I don't understand." But he knows enough to on the defensive; his tone is clipped.

There's nothing to do here but cut to the chase. Helen doesn't particularly care for circumlocution in the first place, but she's certainly not going to waste it on some delinquent heathen. "I know about what you're doing with Mart."

He barely reacts to her statement: as usual, he's very difficult to read. Dan's obsidian eyes search her face, undoubtedly looking for some clue to her emotions.

"Mart and I are friends," he replies tonelessly.

"Your relationship goes beyond that," Helen states in a low tone. She pauses for a moment as lively voices outside pass near the door, but no one else enters the house.

The air between them crackles with tension, and Helen is sure that she sees something akin to strong dislike surfacing in Dan's gaze. His coal-colored eyes smolder like the dying embers of a fire.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he reiterates, his tone flat rather than insistent.

"Stop playing the fool," Helen snaps, on the last vestiges of her patience. "You know what I'm referring to. Whenever you're in the room, Mart can't take his eyes off of you. But when you're not there and Diana is, she's all he can concentrate on."

Dan absorbs this with his arms folded loosely over his chest and an impatient expression adorning his handsome face. "If you're done," he begins, but Helen cuts him off.

"I'm not finished," she says tersely.

He stares at her with disdain.

Helen continues. "I've seen you with girls. I know that you're attracted to women, even if my niece doesn't appeal to you. And before you became involved in his life, Mart was only interested Diana. So, the two you have a specific chemistry that makes you gravitate towards one another. With one of you removed from the equation, both of you could return to healthy, heterosexual interest."

"What are you saying?" Dan's voice is hoarse.

Helen leans forward conspiratorially. "I'm asking you, for the well-being of both of our families, to forget about Mart. Move on. Find a nice girl and invest all your time and energy in your relationship with her, so long as you let Mart go and convince him that he needs to do the same."

Dan gazes at her in shock as comprehension dawns on his face.

"Hello there, Helen," a loud voice from the kitchen entrance says pointedly. "Hey, Dan."

It's Peter. He sends Helen a look of disapproval before focusing on the dark-haired teenager. "Dan- "

"I have to get going," Dan states abruptly. "Thanks for having me, Mr. and Mrs. Belden." He strides past Peter into the hallway, then out the front door.

Neither of them speaks for several moments.

"That's odd," Peter comments.

"He's an odd person," Helen says lightly, ignoring Peter's quizzical look.

Mere days later, Dan is suspected of trying to steal Juliana's wedding ring and running off to join his former gang. Helen is not overtly surprised, but her children are devastated by the news, especially Mart. She had no idea that the others were so attached to him as well, or she would have done something sooner.

While her children bemoan Dan's disappearance, she inwardly wonders, on apurely academic level, how firmly he took her words to heart. Is he doing this all because of what she said to him?

Her family is worried after that radio broadcast which announced Dan a suspect, so Helen speaks with carefully constructed pity in her voice. "Dan could be in Timbuktu, and people would still suspect him after that report. They won't remember that he was a victim when he was in trouble. First impressions aren't easily forgotten."

Later that night, while she and Peter are reading in bed, he inquires about the conversation between her and Dan.

"What were the two of you discussing so intently?"

"The same thing that bothers you about him," Helen responds. "His relationship with Mart. I told him that he couldn't endanger our family."

Peter looks at her seriously. "Helen, you had no right to tell the boy what to feel. Mart is just as involved in this . . ." he searches for the right word but seems unable to find it, "connection as well."

"I'm a God-fearing woman," Helen says long-sufferingly. "I had every right to warn him away. Leviticus, chapter eighteen, verse twenty-two: 'Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination.'"

"John, chapter eight, verse seven: 'Let he who is without sin cast the first stone,'" Peter ripostes.

Helen looks up from her gardening catalogue in exasperation. "What would you have me do, Peter? That sort of stuff can't go on. I know that you didn't like it, either, so don't pretend that you did."

"You may have played a part in driving him away from here," Peter says quietly.

Unperturbed, Helen flips the page in her magazine. "So be it if I did, Peter. But at least I did God's work, and I protected my family."

When Dan is found, he has been beaten and starved, with his arms ravaged by switchblades- the gang members making good on their threats to Bobby. Dan's in the hospital for over a week, and after he's released, he goes out of his way to avoid the other Bob-Whites, either out of shame or anger.

Helen feels sorry for him and muses over it while setting the table. Really, it's not that she dislikes him; she only wants to do what's best for her family. But she takes just a hint of satisfaction when Dan brushes off Mart or pulls away from his touch.

The only son-in-law Helen wants is Trixie's husband. And now, her entire family's lives are back on track, and very little effort from her was necessary. Dan's old gang practically did the job for her.

Dan is on the outside again. Where he belongs.

And Mart has pretty Diana Lynch in his arms. A girl.

And a boy belongs with a girl.

Helen surveys the dinner table proudly. All plates, silverware, and napkins are neatly arranged.

Everything is as it should be, in its natural order.

* * *

**A/N:** I realized that I villified Helen in this chapter, but I'd rather take this version than the caricature of a '50's housewife that she was in the books.

I realize that in this story, both she and Hallie were depicted as in the wrong. I have nothing against women in general, and I don't believe in tearing down heterosexual women to promote slash. I'm just not overly fond of the Belden women.

**Reoccurring themes throughout this story:**

Everyone describes Dan as "cat-like" at least once in each chapter.

Everyone sees Dan with a different eye color. Seriously, go back and check. This was to emphasize that each person sees him differently.

Is anyone interested in more of this pairing? Feel free to request something.


End file.
